My invention pertains to a method for the combined reduction of the concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) formed in fossil fuels combustion and combustion effluents. My invention relates, to the admixture of alkanolamines and/or ethylenediamine compounds to fossil fuels combustion product gases, for the combined oxidation of carbon monoxide and reduction of nitrogen oxides produced in combustion of fossil fuels and fossil fuels derivatives, such as natural gas, synthetic coal gas, gasolines and fuel oils, used in internal combustion engines, diesel engines, gas turbines, process furnaces, porker plant boilers, as well as coal used in firing various other combustion equipment. My invention further relates to the injection of alkanolamines and/or ethylenediamine chemical compound solutions into the fossil fuels combustion reaction gas products, for the combined reduction of the carbon monoxide and the nitrogen oxides concentrations produced in the combustion of the fossil fuels, which would otherwise be ordinarily discharged in the combustion effluents from fossil fuels fired combustion apparatus and devices such as, including but not limited to, gas turbines, power plant boilers, process furnaces, fired heaters, steam boilers.
Fossil fuels combustion waste products discharged from various combustion sources into the ambient atmosphere, contain carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides, which are the major cause of harmful air pollution resulting in serious smog problems. The major health irritants are carbon monoxide (CO) and the nitrogen oxides (NOx), all of these being extremely poisonous gases present a serious air pollution problem. Major portion of the CO and NOx gases discharged into the atmosphere comes from fossil fuels combustion in automotive internal combustion engines; but stationary sources of CO and NOx discharge, such as power plants, fired boilers and process furnaces, incinerators and simillar combustion equipment, are also very significant contributors. In these combustion processes thermal NOx is formed as nitric oxide (NO) in the high temperature combustion zone from the nitrogen and oxygen in the combustion air and of the combustion gases. The high temperatures in the combustion zone favour NO formation, the original form in which the oxides of nitrogen are created in the combustion process. This NO is subsequently oxidized to NO.sub.2, as soon as the lower temperatures required for this are reached upon discharge into the ambient air. The CO contained in the fossil fuels combustion products gases results from the incomplete combustion of the carbon content in the combustion fuels.
In prior art there have been considerable and numerous efforts to find separate and distinctive methods: one method of removing NO and NO.sub.2 from combustion effluents by reduction with the injection of ammonia into the combustion effluents as the reducing agent, both with and without the aid of a catalyst; another separate and distinct method of removing CO from the combustion products gases by means of noble metals catalysts to produce the oxidation of CO into CO.sub.2 conversion. The one separate and distinct prior art relates to NOx reduction methods constrained to NO reduction in the combustion gases effluent flow downstream of the region of fuel combustion where the effluent gases have cooled down to the lower temperature range required by the catalyst to promote an effective catalytic reaction between the NO and the injected ammonia passing over the SCR-type catalyst, which is effective only within a narrow range of low temperature combustion products gas effluents. Other recent separate and distinct prior art relates to methods of reducing nitrogen oxides contained in the combustion products gases by injection of urea, or hydrazine compounds, or amine compounds into the combustion products gases effluents. Another seperate and distinct prior art relates to one method of reducing the CO contained in the combustion product gases by the process of catalytic combustion (i.e. oxidation) of CO to CO.sub.2, wherein the combustion products gases containing CO and O.sub.2 pass over a noble metals catalyst at relatively high gas temperatures in order to sustain the catalytic combustion process.
Consequently, the prior art relates to the reduction of NOx and oxidation of CO in the fuels combustion products gaseous effluents by two saperate and distinct methods, where according to prior art both of the two saperate and distinct methods have to be employed in conjuction with each other, in order to obtain the combined reduction of nitrogen oxides and oxidation of carbon monoxide contained in the fuel combustion products gases.